


Amon Alone

by catwcmau



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Angst, Anti-bending revolution, Backstory, Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Equalists (Avatar), F/M, Mentions of Korra - Freeform, Origin Story, Pre-Avatar: Legend of Korra
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:07:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28754109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catwcmau/pseuds/catwcmau
Summary: Everyone has a backstory.Even the face of the Anti-Bending Revolution.A story about Amon and how he came to be known as the leader of the revolution- how the ghosts of his family follow him even when hiding in the shadows.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 11





	1. Fourteen Years

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to start by saying that I am in no way making this story cannon, this is just a little something i've wanted to write for sometime!  
> Second, I don't exactly have an idea of how many chapters this will be but I want to thank y'all for reading the first one!
> 
> anyway, have fun and make sure to share this story !  
> also follow me on twitter @catwcmau !

It had been fourteen years.

The idea of so much time passing had never crossed the man’s mind, even when his memories wanted to. Fourteen years seemed like fourteen days packed into fourteen seconds. And yet, he could remember almost nothing that had happened over that time. A part of him was grateful that his thoughts were spared from all the time he spent pondering over his destiny, even the good moments that highlighted it. The other part of him longed for a guide towards freedom and true enlightenment, unchained from his ghostly past.

Nonetheless, he was headed to the heart of his fathers anguish.

His eyes followed the graceful movements of the waves, kissing the edge of the metal boat every few seconds. He wasn’t exactly a fan of vast oceans, being attracted more to puddles or lakes. Still, his hand dangled over the railing of the ship, pulling his fingers up until he was able to get a feel of the cool water below them. It bought him ease, a sense of unrecognizable happiness yet frustration at the same time.

For someone with such strong emotions, he couldn’t explain just how he came to be that way. He could blame it on his childhood, talk about how he was denied a normal upbringing to make way for training. He could mention his time around the world had made him see unusual and frightening things but that wasn’t the case. He could even go as far to say that his father had implanted this version of himself into his mind, pushing out any creativity or meaning inside him but everyone with issues said that.

The man had taken the resentment and emptiness he had grown to ignore and push it down further into his soul than he could imagine. He needed to grow past the outline that had been drawn out for him since day one and begin sculpting someone new. Someone with purpose and meaning in life. Someone who could get up and have power in his voice. He needed to erase everything that had once been the burden of his childhood and turn it into a sign of hope. Even if it was for himself.

He took a few steps away from the railing, his knees almost bending immediately once he was at a safe distance. His body relaxed upon hitting the board below him, his back touching the chilling wall which made his eyes want to shut off for that night. Still, he sat there and looked at the view as if he had laid eyes on it for the first time.

He was determined that he wouldn’t be what his father had intended him to be. Not a weapon against the innocent but a protector almost. Especially now in a world that relied on the working class more than ever.

He closed his eyes for a second, hearing distant yelling from a child as his viewpoint ran as fast as he could. He felt a shiver creep on him, his skin becoming numb at the idea of being back inside that blizzard.

The man then jolted awake, his lips almost whispering the child’s name that had called out to him. Instead he sat there, unaware that his own eyes had closed on him.

It wasn’t until he was awakened by the horn that he realized he had fallen asleep.

The once menacing pool of water below them now shimmered as city light was glazed on like butter. The cool tones disappeared as if they never existed, replaced with shades so crystalized you could feel your own mood rise. The man’s eyes looked around for that familiar shore outline he recognized from maps.

He pulled himself up, the cool night breeze blowing against his hair as he felt his senses waking up. He took in a deep breath, the smell of saltwater and a hint of smoke dancing right inside his nose. He turned his head to look over the bay, wanting a closer look at the enchanting city he had heard so much about.

Republic City. 

Home to benders and non benders alike.

His gaze ignored the other travelers who raced towards the edge of the deck to catch the stunning view the city had to offer from afar. The moonlight highlighted even the darkest parts, painting them as a better life than outside the city permits. The man stayed put in the same spot as before, his interest relying upon the grand metal statue of the city’s founder inself. Avatar Aang.

Upon his travels, his ears had been filled with the adventures the young Avatar had across the globe. From Kyoshi Island to ride the elephant koi all the way past the walls of Ba Sing Se, the Avatar had been everywhere and anywhere. Yet, his travels and accomplishments at twelve years old wasn’t enough for the child. The land that had once been the issue of conflict and even war, had now been turned into a shining beacon of hope and balance in the world. Since the founding of the city by Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko, Republic City has been the place to be.

The very place his own father wished for him to be at.

As the boat swam across the bay towards the docking center, the man’s eyes locked in with the metal ones above him. Being below such a monumental statue made him feel weak almost. He had been a waterbending master since the young age of fourteen, even a bloodbender way beyond his years. And yet, a sense of delicacy washed over him faster than the waves washed against the metallic deck.

He was the Avatar. 

The master of all four elements.

The great bridge between their world and the spirit one.

He was the Avatar.

How could anyone not fear him especially after what he did to the Fire Lord.

His once blurry mind had cleared up when taking that first step on land, the sound of the steady metal getting louder with every step he took towards greatness. He began to move along, his eyes glancing around the booming city. Everything seemed grander than what he had heard about from his father and people around him. It wasn’t like your average town who had a couple shops and many homes. No, This place was filled with excitement and buildings taller than he could have ever imagined. Many would feel small compared to the booming city, finding it overwhelming and even a bit too modern for their taste but the man felt right at home.

His feet began to guide him along the city sidewalk as if he had lived there his entire life, a feeling of pride placed over him by the spirits. Everywhere his head turned there was chatter and horns, people walking besides and into him. A part of him wished he had visited the city sooner, perhaps even finding a life for himself with a child or two but the man knew he wasn’t meant for that.

It didn’t take long until his body led him towards the less fortunate parts of the city, the color and mood of the place almost changing entirely. The once dazzling in shades of silver and purple now turned into nothing but grey and black for the underlife of Republic City. It was obvious that the city had a poverty problem, almost every town he had ever been to had this but it was different here. This was supposed to be the place that represented a new era of balance and peace and yet there was hardly any balance in terms of wealth.

Still, the silence the alleyways and empty streets had to offer was enough to make anyone want to sit there forever. It provided a calming thinking space, a time of day to think about everything that led you to this very moment. Turning, the man caught a glimpse at his reflection in the store’s window, finding a young man examining him as if he was a stranger. Although he had grown to be as tall as his father, posture just as square and his suit looking a bit roughed up but fine, he couldn’t help but picture the same teenage boy he was all those years ago.

He dropped his bag to the side of the seat provided, running his hands through his hair to fix up the mop that had rested on his head. The sound of his throat clearing sounded through the neighborhood, making him turn his head over his shoulder for a second to ensure he was still alone.

It wasn’t until he noticed two men walking up ahead that he decided to hide in the alleyway next door. He reached down for his back, taking a few steps before looking back. From the man’s distance, they seemed to be overworked and barely hanging on by a thread, one of them even having a couple burned edges on their clothing. As they walked down the street, he could tell they had been chattering for some time.

“ I’m telling you, He’s not going to back down. ” 

“ Calm down, Kuon. He won’t do it again after we report him to the police. ”

“ Calm down?! He almost killed me with his crazy firebending! I’m telling you, I'm not going back to work unless he’s gone. He’s a danger to us all. ”

“ We need the money. What would you have the workers do? Fight back? We can’t bend. Face it, He’ll take us out in seconds. ”

“ Doesn’t mean he can do whatever he wants. I’m not resting until he gets what he deserves. ”

“ The best we can do is report him to the police. That way we keep our jobs and he gets what he deserves. ”

“ The police ain’t messing with no members from the Agni Kai especially if it’s just for a couple non benders. ”

**_Non benders._ **

He felt those last words said by the man linger in his mind for a while.

Non benders.

What could he have meant by that?

Being a bender will and always has been a birth given right of power. The ability to manipulate the elements around you into a force was enough to make anyone drunk with their given right. The Fire Lords before his time had done this and it seemed like his subjects continued on the tradition of abuse and misconduct to those around him. It was as if benders were born bad- A sense of hate and selfishness implanted into them the second they entered the world. 

Just like his father.

He could never forget what his father had done to him. To his brother. To their birth given right and turned it into more than just power and talent. Into revenge.

The man felt his mind snap away from his thoughts as his ear was filled with the distant sound of cheers and laughter. Even if the surrounding area of the slum seemed to be still and closed down, there was almost a ray of bonding and happiness in the community with what seemed to be music and dancing.

Even if the waterbender didn’t want to attend tonight's festivities ( whatever they were ) he felt his feet begin to drag him across towards the action. 

A drink or two won’t hurt anyone.

Cheering and clapping could be heard from the other side of the world from how loud the celebration was. Drinks were spilled and music was sung, making the environment just as meaningful as the day the city was founded. People had arms wrapped around one another, talking each other's ears off as if there was no tomorrow- It was exactly how you’d picture Republic City.

The man eventually found a seat at the bar, resting his bag below his feet. He leaned his arms on the edge of the wooden counter, his eyes darting around for any sign of a bartender or anyone who was sober enough to pour a drink.

“ Hey there stranger! I see you’re late on the festivities- What’s your drink? ”

“ I’ll take whatever you have left. ”

The bartender reached behind him and pulled out a green bottle, sliding it over to the newcomer.

“ Some cactus juice for your troubles! But if I were you, I’d take about three more of those so it kicks in faster. ”

“ I’m fine. Why is everyone celebrating tonight? ”

“ You didn’t hear? Come on, it’s been all over the radio and newspapers! Here- ”

The bartender once again reached down below him, searching for a few seconds until he pulled out a newspaper. It was a bit folded and roughed up but it was clear enough to read.

The man took the reading from his hands, opening it up to find any kind of information as to why everyone was suddenly bubbly with excitement.

“ Nono! Read the headline! ”

The waterbender looked at the man with a confused face, surprised as to why he couldn't just tell him what had happened.

And then he saw it.

Clearer than he had ever seen anything before.

“ Isn’t it amazing!? The avatar has been found!! ” 

Upon saying that, the bar roared with cheers and screams of happiness as if they had never been alive. 

The man looked down at the paper, his eyes dropping down to look at the child plastered over the front cover.

Southern Water Tribe.

Avatar Korra.

The avatar was back.


	2. New Encounters

Two weeks after the avatar’s international announcement, it finally seemed like people were returning back to normal life.

Once word spread that the next avatar was a girl from the southern water tribe, it turned the four nations upside down like never before. Since Avatar Aang, many citizens of the nations hadn’t experienced the excitement of the Avatar’s finding. With the hundred year war happening not so long ago, no one really had the time to stop everything and celebrate the return of the hundred twelve year old reincarnation. Thankfully time and traditions change, now the finding date being the most special and meaningful day in history for anyone. The Avatar was a ray of glistening hope blessed upon every single one of them and it pleased the people to know they could see the cycle continue in their lifetime.

Within those two months, the northerner had finally stabilized himself within the city. The enormous town was no longer just an image on a painted map but rather his home and now his base of operations- but more on that later. He had found a place to stay within an abandoned warehouse, figuring it was the best location to hide out without strangers knowing his name for some random box he would only use for three months or so. It wasn’t the most glamorous place to live in, especially when he had now become a republic city citizen but it was enough for him- plus it placed a roof over his head which was much better than some limp metal strip hanging over his head. Not only was the warehouse in total abandonment but the surrounding areas were just as soothing as the night he came into town. It was absolutely perfect for someone like himself.

Although his dreams and ambitions only seemed just about that, he dreamed about standing against the railing and speaking to a crowd of people- inspiring and guiding the lost members of society who needed a shove into humanity.

Everything was going perfectly.

Everything until she came in.

It was an uneventful night in the city. The streets had finally begun to calm down and return to it’s eerie feeling- about time too. The place seemed to run like a party on days end as if Republic City had a lover town right across the ocean. But uneventful nights such as this one always have something lurking in the dark.

The waterbender hadn’t known it yet but about five minutes ago a woman had broken through his ceiling glass and wandered the place as if she owned it. She didn’t take anything in particular, there wasn’t much to steal anyway. She had expected to find some abandoned paperwork she could profit off from or even some leftover product but instead all the woman found was a boring old living space in what looked to be an office.

Every step the woman took was heard as the sound of her boots rang through the place. She wasn’t used to this kind of energy- her sneaky moves being revealed by the lack of clutter in the space. It was almost as if she was being stripped from her security layer, now being left to be seen or heard by even the smallest mouse.

Her body began to guide her towards the same entrance she took, those golden eyes of her glancing in every corner that she could search. Then she stopped. Her body froze in its very spot, her hands balling up as she sensed a presence in the room. She could have sworn she was alone- that’s why she went into the abandoned warehouse after all. Her hands bent fire blades, her body motion slowly turning around in one eighty and freezing. Her eyes darted back in forth across her eyeballs, trying to find exactly what had been following her.

It wasn’t until she turned around that she saw him.

They stood about on the other ends of the place, enough distance between them to stop one another from killing the one across. The only thing lighting their pathways was the moonlight shining in from the skylight above. It seemed like almost out of a movie- the two characters finally noticing one another yet so far apart and easy to lose. Any young girl watching this would immediately hope that they let down their guards and begin to dance, letting their worries and unhappiness drop with every single step they took together. Unfortunately this wasn’t a movie.

The firebender held her blades up enough to show her face, her amber eyes shining brighter now that the flame was glowing between herself and her breath. As for the waterbender, he stood there with his hands behind his back. They stared at the other, as if they waited for the other to say something first.

Then the man spoke up.

“ I suggest you leave. “

“ Do you own the place? “

There was a slight hesitation in his voice “ No. “

“ Then I don’t think so. “

That last word of hers filled the place with tension, the man taking in a deep breath before taking a step towards the stronger.

“ I suggest you leave. “

“ Geez, do you have anything other than ‘ I suggest you leave ‘ in your vocabulary? If you’re going to play the bad guy, might as well sound intimidating. “

“ I’m not the bad guy. “

“ See? wasn’t that hard, now was it? “

“ You’ve looked enough. I assure you nothing here is worth your interest. “

“ Are you sure? Is that why you live here? Must be something real important to live in this dump. “

No response. The woman glanced around the area surrounding them, trying to search for a distraction that could help her get away. He seemed like a good enough guy except he had this intimidating persona to him which probably helped him get what he wanted. As for her… She took a few steps to her right, looking at the wooden boxes before pointing at the space behind the man.

“ Who’s that!? “

The waterbender knew exactly what she was doing- it was the oldest trick in the book. Any quick getaway required a simple enough distraction and hers was more than simple. The last thing he wanted to deal with was having to fight some girl just because of her ego so instead he let out a quiet sigh, turning his head to face what she had been pointing at.

Before the man even knew it, the woman that was once behind him had now run off. He kept his eyes on what she had pointed out, pretending as if he was focusing all his attention towards this distraction. It wasn’t until a few seconds later that he finally turned his head over his shoulder, looking at the now empty space. That was more like it.

It wasn’t until the next morning that he would have to deal with her again.

“ Hurry up old man unless you want to end up in a ditch somewhere. “

The old man began to pull money from the cash register as soon as he heard the threat, his hands moving as fast as they could. It was a fine day in Republic City- He had gotten an extra danish with his coffee that morning, deciding to treat himself from how well his sales have been recently. Even more, he had found out that he had new neighbors in his apartment complex which meant new faces around the place. It was all going well. It had been a better morning than others until now.

About ten minutes ago the Triple Threat Triad had some into his store and begun disrupting the place, now robbing him of the money he had on hand. The nearest police patrol was five minutes away and by the time they got there, the triad members would have run off. Had he been a bender then maybe he could show these guys what they were messing with but he wasn't- he was just another victim. He placed the last few yuans inside the bag provided, sliding it back over to the men who stood guard at the door in case anyone wanted to come be a hero.

“ There. That’s all I have. Please leave my store now before my customers come in here. “

“ I don’t think so, grandpa. “

With that the leader of the group firebended towards a table, lighting the seating area into flames. He whistled out to his two other partners, signaling that it was go time. The three began making their way towards a nearby escape alley until they were faced by some girl.

“ Last time I checked, that money wasn’t yours. “

“ Why don’t you run off little girl. Let the big boys here do the running of this neighborhood. “

“ Well you’re not doing that good of a job running it. Now, return the money before I show you what this little girl can do. “

With that threat the head of the three slammed the bag into his partners chest, his hands punching a fireblast towards the girl. He had expected her to take the hit or even draw it away from her but it seemed like she knew what she was doing. Her hands took the fire, redirecting it and striking it towards the original source.

The tension surrounding the space around them suddenly got tighter, a feeling of shock washing over the bystanders. They hadn’t had anyone stand up to the Triple Threat Triad with such confidence, not even the esteemed chief of police. Maybe it was the fact that she got lucky that he was a firebender or quick on her feet- whatever it was, it worked. Her eyes darted towards the second member who had begun to run off- she’ll deal with him next time she sees him. What she didn’t know was that an old acquaintance had taken matters into his own hands.

As she dealt with the final threat, her head immediately turned around as soon as he heard the sound of a body hitting the ground. There he stood, the same figure that had encountered her last night in that rundown warehouse. A small smile was painted on her face as her eyes connected with his hidden ones, giving him a quick wink.

She turned her head back around to now find the older man walking up to her, shaking her hand endlessly as he thanked her for her random act of kindness. The woman then bid him goodbye after rejecting his offers to come inside and have a drink or two, her attention returning to the figure who had been keeping his eye on her from afar.

Her boots slowly dragged her towards him, that same smile still on her face from earlier. She stood next to him for a few seconds, her eyes glancing at the three men laid out on the street. It had been a while since she had taken someone on head to head, the last few times resulting in injuries but she was fine. Her head finally turned to the man, the outline of his nose being clear from her point of view.

“ You know, I would have thought you were all talk and no show especially after last night. “

“ You were struggling. “

“ I had everything under control, thank you very much. He just happened to run off on me- other than that I was fine. “

“ You shouldn’t have underestimated him. He could have gone to get back up. “

Her eyes rolled at his comment “ I guess so but he didn’t sooo. Where did you learn to fight anyway? You don’t exactly seem like the type to take anyone down. “

“ I chi blocked him. “

Her head quickly turned to face him, her eyes wide for a second. “ Hold up- You chi blocked him? Where'd you learn that? “

“ That’s none of your concern. “

“ Huh… Well I should get going if you’re going to follow me again. “

He couldn't help but sigh at her comment “ I didn’t follow you. You were struggling “

“ You mentioned that. “

The woman began taking a few steps ahead before turning around to look at him one more time. From her angle, his face finally had light directed other than his eyes from the night before. He had beautiful eyes- almost as deep as the water surrounding the island. The woman couldn’t help but fall into them with every glance she took into him.

“ Come on, might as well tell me where you learned chi blocking. “

The man looked up at her when he offered her some. His mind told him to leave the girl alone, walk away from her and continue with his mission but he knew that talking to her would eventually result in her being able to teach him a thing or two about more modern fighting skills. He finally took a few more steps, standing besides her now as they walked down the neighborhood.

“ I’m Rukia by the way. “

“ Noatak. “

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for reading !! Also, I wonder who this Rukia girl is...   
> Anyway, See you guys on Wednesday ( or Thursday because my upload schedule if already fucked up )


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